Software developers generally use integrated development environments (“IDEs”) to edit, build, and debug applications. An example of an IDE is MICROSOFT VISUAL STUDIO, which is a software development tool that is provided by MICROSOFT CORPORATION. IDEs provide a user interface that developers can use to develop software components and applications. IDEs generally include developer tools, such as a source code editor, a compiler and/or interpreter, a build-automation tool, and a debugger. IDEs may also include a version control system and other tools to simplify construction of a graphical user interface (“GUI”).
IDEs can have various containers for constituents of applications, such as image files, source code files, libraries, and so forth. As examples, IDEs can have solution and project containers. A solution container can contain, among other things, one or more project containers. The project containers can contain constituents of applications. The constituents of the applications can be “built” by the IDE's developer tools (e.g., compiler), such as by translating human-readable source code to machine-executable object code. Each project container can be said to be a different project type because it can provide support for a different programming language. Examples of programming languages are C#, C++, MICROSOFT VISUAL BASIC, PERL, and so forth. A project container (or simply, “a project”) is generally defined by a project file. The project file can indicate items associated with the project, such as various properties associated with the project, files that define the components the project contains, and so forth.
Developers employ IDEs to build software components, such as controls and add-ins. A control is generally a component that a developer adds to a form to enable or enhance a user's interaction with the form. As an example, a developer can add a Portable Document Format (“PDF”) reader control to a web form so that a viewer of the web form can view a PDF document. An add-in is a component that a user can add to an application (“host application”) to supplement the host application's functionality. As an example, a user can use an add-in with a MICROSOFT OFFICE host application (e.g., MICROSOFT WORD) to create a PDF document based on contents of the host application.
The IDE starts either when a user commands it to start or when an application starts it. As an example, when an add-in encounters an unexpected or specified condition, such as when an add-in encounters an error or a specified breakpoint, it can start the IDE. A breakpoint is a point in executable code at which a user has indicated to suspend execution. When the add-in encounters an error or breakpoint, the add-in can invoke the IDE and identify a region of source code within which the error or breakpoint can be found. If the IDE is not already executing when the add-in invokes it, the IDE will start. The IDE will then locate the relevant source code and display the identified region. Alternatively, an application can start the IDE, such as when the user selects a command for editing code associated with the application. Examples of code that can be associated with an application include source code, object code, scripts, macros, and so forth. Macro code is code that a user can write to control the application. Some applications provide a “macro recording” feature, using which users can generate macro code merely by commanding the application to perform various actions.
When an application starts an IDE, the IDE may be a fully featured version. However, such an IDE may provide too many features for a user of the application. For example, when the user of the application is not a professional developer, the user may not understand all the sophisticated features (e.g., a window displaying the memory contents of a C++ object) provided by the IDE. Conventional IDEs may provide so much functionality to such a user that the user is overwhelmed and unable to complete a task. The IDE may provide a blank code editor window, too many tool windows, options, and so forth.